Dalton is a good signal-caller, but he's seriously prone to pivotal mistakes. It's been on full display all season, and it's up to the play-callers to limit them, because Dalton can't seem to help himself at times.

Jermaine Gresham Is a Liability

Forget for a moment that a holding call on Jermaine Gresham was questionable.

Instead, focus on the fact Gresham's penalty negated a touchdown (in a game that went to overtime), and the end result of the drive after the penalty was Andy Dalton's pick-six.

The play was already past Gresham and he had no business engaging a defender in the first place. He shouldn't have put himself in the position to be flagged, plain and simple.

Gresham leads all tight ends in the NFL with eight penalties.

It's time to start asking whether or not Gresham needs to consistently be on the field outside the red zone. There's a better pass-catching tight end on the roster in Tyler Eifert and a better blocking one in Alex Smith.

Make no mistake—Atkins is arguably the best defensive tackle in the NFL. His presence makes those around him better.

Whereas Cincinnati could effectively scheme around the loss of corner Leon Hall, there is absolutely nothing the team can do to replicate the impact Atkins has on each game.

The jobs of the linebackers behind Atkins just became much more difficult, as did the jobs of every defensive lineman who will now see more attention with one of the NFL's most dominant forces out of the picture.

Run Defense Is an Issue

Cincinnati's run defense was once again suspect this week against Miami, and that was noticeable before Geno Atkins was lost to a knee injury.

In total, the Dolphins were able to rack up 157 total yards on the ground. Lead back Lamar Miller went for 105 and an impressive 6.6 per-carry average.

A dip in the run defense department was a bit expected with starting middle linebacker Rey Maualuga out for the game with an injury, but Miller consistently getting to the edge and subsequently up the field is not a typical day for the Cincinnati defense.

Even worse, Miller was having a subpar season at best. The output is his best yardage effort of the year.

With Atkins out of the picture, the run defense has a lot of soul searching to do.

Bernard finished with 79 yards on just nine carries and scored the two touchdowns that would force overtime before he missed the rest of the game with a rib injury, per Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

There is a double-edged sword at play here, though.

On one hand, it only seems right to clamor for coordinator Jay Gruden to use Bernard more given what he is capable of at any point. On the other, his seemingly minor injury is what can happen when a smaller back receives too much work.

As CBS Sports' Dave Richards points out, the Bengals are a better team with Bernard in the lineup:

Gruden's gotta realize the offense is tougher for defenses to predict w/ Gio back there instead of BJGE. They can run anything w/ Gio.

Health of Roster Is a Major Concern

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When will it stop?

Injuries currently litter the Cincinnati Bengals roster with no end in sight. Cornerback Leon Hall was lost for the year, and he was the best slot corner the NFL had to offer. Meanwhile, the aforementioned injury to Geno Atkins crushes the unit as a whole.

Unfortunately, NFL Around the League's Chris Wesseling puts it best:

Two days after placing their top defensive back on I.R., the Bengals lose their best defensive player while their best RB sits out overtime.

Cincinnati is one of the deepest teams in the NFL, but any roster can be hit in the right spot to make everything come crashing down. The Bengals have now lost their two best defensive players and the team is only nine games into the season.

Dark Times in Cincinnati Are Here

The Cincinnati Bengals roster that was one of the NFL's best teams with a 6-2 record through its first eight games is no more.

Gone is star corner Leon Hall and arguably the best interior lineman in the NFL with Geno Atkins' injury.

Outside of injury issues, the heartbreaking loss to Miami ever-so-slightly opens the door for Baltimore in the AFC North, as Cincinnati must now turn around and hit the road for a matchup with the defending champs.

Any time a game ends in this fashion, major issues are on the horizon (via NFL Network):

With Andy Dalton's struggles, injuries and a brutal schedule the rest of the way that includes Baltimore twice, Indianapolis, San Diego, Pittsburgh and Cleveland, the Bengals may find it difficult to replicate the success of the first half of the season.